Greenland was apparently so named so it would inspire people to come there, in the same way that half of South Africa's fortress complexes have soothing names like whispering pines, while they're overlooking a motorway truck stop. Or Shay glades in the middle of the Karoo. And after seeing this film I know that it's not a place I'm going on holiday.
This the story of a Yossarian-like character,played by Jason "AMERICAN PIE(4/10) " Biggs, dropped of in this desolate hell while thinking he's on his way to Hawaii; part of a snafu in the military transfer machine. It's a base which exists for apparently no other reason than as a re-fueling stop on the way to and from Europe; though judging by the infrequency of the planes not a very strategic one. To add to all this he's misidentified as another person completely who at the moment is sunning himself in Hawaii. The more he complains about this situation, the more he is rebuffed. And then he discovers the base's secret.
Based on the book,NO ONE THINKS OF GREENLAND, it has elements of both Catch-22 and M*A*S*H (9/10) in it, without quite capturing the original spirit of both. Interesting point is that the film is based in 1979, just after the Vietnam war, instead of the original book which was based the same time period after the Korean War. To make it more relevant, I guess.
Jeremy Northam plays a wonderful ego-centric base commander, with the uniquely attractive Natasha McElhone as his secretary Northam is an actor who's been around a while and is just itching to break into the higher acting echelons as occupied by the Fiennes. Give him a little time.
It's a moody little film with some fun characterizations of the mostly semi-psychotic kind. Biggs shows that he can act outside the Pie trilogy, but I can't quite see why he was cast here. It is a British production and, like NOTTING HILL (8/10) with la Roberts or 4 WEDDINGS (8/10) with Angie McD, they've though it necessary to bring in an American actor for distribution in the states. But who the hell wants to see Jason Biggs in something other than teen slapstick. Let me re-phrase that; who wants to see Jason Biggs at all? And when he starts to charm the delicious Natasha, I suppose it gives hope to all the pimplicious in the audience that there is hope, Luke. Mind you with all the other creatures that infested the base, he was the normalest. Maybe, like the frog-eyed Steve Buscemi, he will win me over, but somehow I doubt it.
This the story of a Yossarian-like character,played by Jason "AMERICAN PIE(4/10) " Biggs, dropped of in this desolate hell while thinking he's on his way to Hawaii; part of a snafu in the military transfer machine. It's a base which exists for apparently no other reason than as a re-fueling stop on the way to and from Europe; though judging by the infrequency of the planes not a very strategic one. To add to all this he's misidentified as another person completely who at the moment is sunning himself in Hawaii. The more he complains about this situation, the more he is rebuffed. And then he discovers the base's secret.
Based on the book,NO ONE THINKS OF GREENLAND, it has elements of both Catch-22 and M*A*S*H (9/10) in it, without quite capturing the original spirit of both. Interesting point is that the film is based in 1979, just after the Vietnam war, instead of the original book which was based the same time period after the Korean War. To make it more relevant, I guess.
Jeremy Northam plays a wonderful ego-centric base commander, with the uniquely attractive Natasha McElhone as his secretary Northam is an actor who's been around a while and is just itching to break into the higher acting echelons as occupied by the Fiennes. Give him a little time.
It's a moody little film with some fun characterizations of the mostly semi-psychotic kind. Biggs shows that he can act outside the Pie trilogy, but I can't quite see why he was cast here. It is a British production and, like NOTTING HILL (8/10) with la Roberts or 4 WEDDINGS (8/10) with Angie McD, they've though it necessary to bring in an American actor for distribution in the states. But who the hell wants to see Jason Biggs in something other than teen slapstick. Let me re-phrase that; who wants to see Jason Biggs at all? And when he starts to charm the delicious Natasha, I suppose it gives hope to all the pimplicious in the audience that there is hope, Luke. Mind you with all the other creatures that infested the base, he was the normalest. Maybe, like the frog-eyed Steve Buscemi, he will win me over, but somehow I doubt it.